Locking means for orthodontia appliances



F. T. MURLLESS, 1x.

LOCKING MEANS FOR JRTHODONTIA APPLIANCES.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR; 26. 1920.

Patented July 20, 1920.

FREDERIC T. MURLLESS, JR, 015 HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

LOCKING MEANS FOR ORTHODONTIA APPLIANCES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Applicationfiled March 26, 1920. Serial No. 369,022.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC T. MURL- LESS, JI., a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Looking. Means for Urthodontia Appliances, of which the following is a'specification.

This invention relates to the means provided for securing the lingual andbuccal arches to the anchor bands employed in orthodontia, or the mechanical treatment for correcting the irregularities and faulty positions of teeth. Such appliancesare of necessity very small, they are used in constricted spaces, and are more or less difiicult to reach and manipulate.

The object of this invention is to construct a light, cheap and unobtrusive means for locking or unlocking the ends of lingual and buccal correcting arches to anchor bands placed around teeth on the upper or the lower jaw, which will securely hold the parts together and can be easily and quickly manipulated in restricted localities without disturbing the gums.

This object is attained by forming pockets on the sides of the anchor bands, providing the ends of the arch wires with radially projecting studs shaped to fit the pockets and attaching to the arch wires yielding fingers that are designed to snap into notches in the walls of the pockets when the studs are thrust into the pockets and prevent the withdrawal of the studs from the pockets until the ends of the fingers are sprung out of the notches, which cannot take place accidentally. I

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows on greatly enlarged scale a plan of an anchor band with the end of an arch wire secured thereto according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the band and arch connected. Fig. 3 is aside View with the band and arch disconnected. Fig. 4 shows a plan of the band. Fig. 5 shows a form of lock of slightly different shape. The anchor band 1 is made the desired shape and size of the usual metal commonly gold and platinum alloy. (in the inner or outer side of the band, as required by the use to which it is to be put, and extending part of the length of the band is a pocket which is conveniently formed by soldering a tube 2 of the desired cross sec tion, preferably semi-circular, to the wall of the band. The edge wall of the pocket is cut away to form a notch 3 that opens toward the front.

The correcting archl, lingual if for use on the inside of the teeth and buccal if for the stud and is curved around in such shape that its end 8 will project toward and slightly into the notch in the edge of the stud. As shown in Fig. 3, this locking finger may extend downward from the arch wire and then curve upward and backward toward the stud, or it may eX- tend outward from the arch wire and curve toward the stud, as does the finger 9 shown in-Fig. 5. It is convenient to have the upper corner of the front edge of the wall of the pocket beveled off as at 10, and to have the end of the finger cut off at an angle as at 11 so that when the parts are to be put together and the stud is thrust into the pocket the inclined surfaces on the edge of the pocket and the end of the finger will co-act to push the finger outward until the connection is completed, when the end of the finger will spring into the notches where it will remain holding the parts together securely. By the employment of a suitable instrument the end of the finger may be readily pulled out of the notches and the stud released when it is desired to disconnect the end of. the arch wire from the anchor band.

This construction is very simple, cheap and easily manipulated. The locking finger is slight, and in the form shown very yielding, so that it can be easily sprung out and yet when it is sprung into the notches it securely holds the stud from being withdrawn from the pocket.

The invention claimed is 1. Locking means for connecting an orthodontia anchor and arch which comprises a pocket with a hole through its side, formed on the wall of the anchor, a notched stud extending at an angle from the arch into said pocket, anda yielding finger projecting from the arch and having its ends extending through the hole in the pocket into the notch in the stud.

2. Locking. means for connecting an orthodontia anchor band and arch Wire which comprises a vertical pocket having a hole through its side Wall formed on the side 0% the band; a stud projecting radially from the arch Wire and shaped to fit'the pocket, and a curved finger projecting from the arch Wire and having its end adapted to spring-into the hole in the wall of the pocket When the stud occupies the pocket.

'8 Locking means for connecting an or thodontia anchor band and arch wire which comprises a tube that is semi-circular in cross section and has a hole through one side secured to the band, a stud that is-semiof an orthodontia arch Wire to an anchor band, Which'comprises a pocket formed on the side of the band, said pocket having a notch in its front edge and its end edge beveled a stud projecting radially from the arch Wire and shaped to fit the pocket, and a springfingerprojecting'from the arch- Wire and curvingtoward the stud said" finger having its end out on an angle and adapted to spring into the notch in the pocket When the stud isthrust into the pocket. 7

FR-EDERIO T. MURLLESS, JR. 

